MOYER Harry B. “Hy”
Moyer was born in 1884 in Beamsville Ontario but appears to have had family connections in the Pittsburgh area U.S.A.
He first worked for the Pittsburgh Dispatch. In 1908 he began working for the Toronto Star. He did political cartoons at this time and was working at the Star during the 1911 election. In 1915 presumably still working for the Star, he wrote an essay about the trials and tribulation of a newspaper artist for The Canadian Magazine. If the article reflects Moyer’s actual experiences then we can conclude that he was a versatile newspaper artist. Furthermore he was a fluid writer with a wry sense of humour.
He then moved to King Features Syndicate in New York City. In the mid 1920’s, he returned to Toronto, and joined the staff of the Evening Telegram where he developed a large following for his sports cartoons. He also created the humorous cartoon strip “Nothing But The Truth” which appeared in the Toronto Evening Telegram sometime in 1928 and was still appearing as of December 30, 1936. He also worked as a freelancer his cartoons appeared in Goblin Magazine and he illustrated front pages of sheet music..
During World War 2 he moved to the Globe and Mail and worked as a cartographer. He also became a regular contributor to Bell Features graphic magazines. His former newspaper strip “Nothing But The Truth” appeared in both Active Comics and Joke Comics. These were probably reprints of his newspaper strip. However, his “Izzy Brite”, “Canadian Capers”, Dibs & Dabs” all appear to have been original to the Bell periodicals. “Happy Daze” in the black and white Active Comics became “Java Bean” in the colour Super Duper Comics. This feature reveals that Moyer held the typical prejudices and stereotypes prevalent in his day, which have dated the feature and would make it unacceptable for publication today.
He was working for the Hamilton Spectator when he died in a head on car crash at Grand Island in New York state on 9 October 1950. His wife and daughters were critically injured. They appear to have been returning to their home in Toronto after spending Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.
WORK:
CARTOONIST:
PERIODICAL GRAPHIC ANTHOLOGY: Published by Bell Features & Publishing Co. unless otherwise noted.
Content humor:
Active Comics, 23, no date: “Canadian Capers”: 8-9.
| Active Comics, … no date: “Dibs & Dabs.”… Black & white. | |
| 26: 40-41. | 28: 8. |
| Active Comics … no date: “Izzy Brite.”. Black & white. | ||||
| 23: Back cover. | 24: 26-27. | 25: Inside front cover. | 26: 48-49. | 27: 16-17. |
Active Comics, 27, no date: “Happy Daze”: 23-27. Black & white. (“Happy Daze.” Became “Java Bean.” In Super Duper Comics
Active Comics, 29, no date: Half page of unidentified panel cartoons probably by Hy Moyer.: Inside front cover. Black & white.
| Active Comics, … no date: “Nothing But The Truth”:… Black & white. | ||
| 25: 26. | 26: 29. | 28: 9. |
Active Comics, 26, no date: “Rummy Rimes.” Car., unidentified but probably Hy Moyer: Inside front cover.
Joke Comics, 23 no date: “Nothing But The Truth.”: inside front cover, 24-25. Black & white.
Super Duper Comics 3, May 1947: “Java Bean.” F.E. Howard Publications. Colour.
PERIODICAL TEXT & GRAPHIC:
Content:
| Goblin …: … | |
| IV-9. March 1924: 6, | V-1, July 1924: 8 (full page), 22.
V-11, June 1925: 6, 10, 23. |
ILLUSTRATOR:
SHEET MUSIC:
On Canadians On! Words & Music, Pauline Hahn. Publisher, Paulin Hahn. 1917.
WRITER:
PERIODICAL TEXT ANTHOLOGY:
Content information:
The Canadian Magazine. Dec. 1915: “Art and the Newspaper”: 100-106.
SOURCE:
Article book:
The Hecklers. Writ. & Ed.., Peter Desbarats & Terry Mosher. McClelland and Stewart Ltd., 1979: 246.
Article periodical:
Maclean’s Magazine, Mar. 1914: “The Cartoonmen of Canada.” Writ., John Edgecumbe Staley. 45, 48.
Article newspaper:
Globe & Mail, 10 Oct. 1950: “Hy Moyer Killed; Wife, Daughters Injured in Crash”:1.
Toronto Star, 10 Oct. 1950: “Harry B. Moyer Dies In U.S. Auto Crash”: 10.